Microsoft’s press conference was third this year. In the past, I’ve found their showings to be decent. I went into this one hoping more than anything for a solid look at Scalebound!
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EA
Bethesda
Microsoft
PC Gaming
Ubisoft
Sony
Nintendo Treehouse & Miscellaneous
Microsoft’s E3 2016 Press Conference
Microsoft’s show began with a look at the new, slim Xbox One model, called the Xbox One S. It’s smaller, improved, and only costs $299, which makes it a tempting possibility if I get an Xbox One.
On the other hand, the majority of games shown at the press conference are for both the Xbox One and Windows 10, part of the new Xbox Play Anywhere feature. The basic idea is that when you buy a game, you’ll have access to it from both your Xbox One and Windows 10. Cross-play is also supported.
The first game shown was Gears of War 4. I’ve never played the Gears of War games, but it looks interesting enough.
A Gears character, General RAAM, is also joining the lineup of Killer Instinct. After a little Killer Instinct footage, they moved on to Forza Horizon 3, to which I devoted as much attention as I do to any racing game: not much.
But do you remember ReCore? It looked pretty cool last E3, and it still does now.
It’s due out September 13, so it isn’t that far away. And speaking of September releases, next on the stage was Square Enix with new Final Fantasy XV footage.
I’m excited for Final Fantasy XV. I really am. But the new gameplay footage was… not the greatest. It was a boss battle against Titan. They probably should have picked something else to show.
Since it’s not a normal battle, it came across as boring and a little disorienting. The player seemed to be struggling, too. All in all, not a great showing for Final Fantasy XV, although it’s probably the presentation more than the gameplay itself.
Next up, a new expansion for The Division, followed by gameplay footage from Battlefield 1. Then they shifted gears to talk about Xbox Live’s upcoming new features, as well as updates to Minecraft.
The Minecraft section included a gameplay video that also had its share of cringe-worthy moments, but maybe it’s because I’m not a Minecraft fan.
After announcing customizable controllers, it was time for the creepy portion of the show! First, a trailer for Inside that showed next to nothing, and then (after a montage of indie games) a delightfully disturbing trailer for We Happy Few.
So, so creepy.
This was the high point of the show, because what name appeared next on the screen? CD Projekt RED! And what were they announcing?
Okay, so Gwent as a standalone game was pretty much leaked already, but it was still cool to see the announcement.
I haven’t played Gwent yet, but I just finished The Witcher (yes, the first one) yesterday. Expect my review after all our E3 excitement. Anyway, you can sign up for the Gwent beta here.
Next up was Tekken 7, then Dead Rising 4, and then the game I was really waiting for, Scalebound!
Oh, Scalebound…
I love PlatinumGames. I want to love Scalebound. And the gameplay they showed looked pretty cool.
The protagonist, though…
I still don’t like him. He’s not endearing the way Bayonetta is.
Every time Scalebound is shown, I just want to like the main character.
Well, Rare took the stage next to show gameplay from their pirate MMO, Sea of Thieves. The gameplay looks interesting, although the people playing it made me cringe so much, I wondered if it was a parody of gamers.
But hey, it made me smile.
I have no interest in State of Decay, but then they showed Halo Wars 2. RTS games and I don’t get along, but I always like seeing some Halo.
And then Microsoft concluded its shown by revealing Project Scorpio, the next Xbox One console. It’s supposed to be much more powerful, and it seems to occupy the middle ground between being an upgrade and a new console. Exciting, but… won’t it make players reluctant to get one of the current models?
Microsoft’s show was really hit or miss for me. There were some great moments coupled with some bad moments and a lot of things that were mixed (like the Final Fantasy XV demo). But at least we can play Gwent!
What did you think of Microsoft’s E3 2016 press conference?